


New Beginning

by SkiaWolf



Series: SorMik Week 2017 [2]
Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkwardness, Flirting, M/M, Romance, Secret Crush, Teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-06 11:32:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11599776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkiaWolf/pseuds/SkiaWolf
Summary: Ready to start his first year of university, Mikleo arrives there a week before the beginning of his course to settle in. He hadn't expected to become smitten with a classmate almost instantly upon this arrival.





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, and welcome to this short fic! This was inspired by the 'Knowledge' prompt, and I decided to extend it from a oneshot. As you can probably tell by this chapter length and how there are only going to be four, this isn't going to be a slow burn or anything of the sort. I don't think I've ever written a chaptered story which DOESN'T have angst as a main theme, so I wanted to do so for a bit of fun. There'll be some frustration and such, but nothing as heavy as I usually write.
> 
> Hope you enjoy it! I'll likely update it again very shortly, as I already have three chapters written.

In a state of utter disbelief, Mikleo's eyes stared in wonder at the sight before him.

He had, of course, visited this university prior to getting ready to move here. Yet now, it seemed even more incredible. The large building was just as impressive as it had been previously, yet now the scene among it seemed entirely different with the bustle of new students. Their courses weren't actually going to start for another week, but the grounds were still crowded with students ready to settle in. There were already older students handing out pamphlets, trying to encourage the first years to join various clubs which certainly didn't seem to have a limit to them.

Whilst walking by with a suitcase, ready to head over to the dormitories, he was stopped by a girl's call to him. “Hello! Yes you, the one with the silver hair!”

Mikleo turned at the sound of her voice. It belonged to a very beautiful girl with hair of an unbelievable length, her green eyes shining. She handed him a poster, finding that it was for an event the hair and beauty students were planning to host in the first term.

“You're a first year, aren't you?” she asked, watching as he hastily put the poster in his bag – he was interested, but also in somewhat of a rush to drop this suitcase off at his dormitory.

“I am. I take it that the suitcase is a giveaway?”

“Well yes, but I also would've noticed you because of your hair by now,” she replied, a dreamy expression on her face as her eyes took in the long, beautifully formed curls, pulled back in a ponytail. “You should come along! We'll be doing hair style experiments and I would _love_ for you to be involved.”

“I'll definitely consider it,” he responded genuinely, giving her a smile. “Thank you.”

“No, I should be thanking you! Oh, and my name is Lailah.”

“I'm Mikleo,” he responded. “Hopefully I'll see you around.”

“I'm certain of it! It's a pleasure to meet you.”

Mikleo was soon heading off, trying to stop himself from getting into other conversations, for this suitcase was _definitely_ getting far too much of a nuisance by now. He did, of course, still have to pick up a pamphlet for an archaeology club which caught his eye with heavy interest. His eyes read over the pamphlet in his spare hand as he then made his way around to a separate building on the grounds, which was where guaranteed rooms were located for first year students.

He wasn't surprised to become lost when he was trying to find his room, for there were several different sectors with many room numbers. However, luck was on his side when a man much taller than himself guided him enthusiastically. The clap he left on Mikleo's back left the skin aching, which caused the man to apologise immediately, before he strode away with long pale hair flowing behind him. Slightly taken aback from the man's personality for a moment, Mikleo only stood outside the door of his room before he pushed the key into the lock, twisting it before pushing the door open with his shoulder.

The room was more spacious than he had imagined it would be. Two beds lay inside, with a sink, fridge and microwave in the corner, as well as a door leading to a small bathroom. He found that the person he was going to be sharing this room with had already been here; Mikleo suspected that they must have arrived on an earlier day, for he doubted that someone would have the energy to instantly unpack _and_ hang posters on the wall by the bed. Mikleo adored the posters, however. They were promotions of his own favourite film adaptations of books. Judging by how there was also a small pile of books on the bedside table, he suspected that whoever was sharing this room with him was just as much of a book lover as he was.

The thought of books suddenly gave him the desire to visit the library. He had only had the chance to peer through the windows of the doors leading to it; he was dying to see if it truly was as gigantic as it had seemed. Considering it was only the early afternoon, he was sure that he'd have time to unpack later. If his roommate did in fact have similar interests as well, it would probably be less of a chore to unpack whilst chatting to them.

Leaving his suitcase on the floor by his bed with this decision, he exited the room and locked it after himself. To his relief, he managed to leave the dormitory block without a huge amount of hassle and was now trailing across the grounds back to the main building. On the way, he was asked about a whole three different clubs – poetry, musical theatre and even fencing, to his surprise – and had pocketed these additional pamphlets, wondering if he'd end up with a huge collection of them before long.

The main university building was a lot busier than the dormitory had been, though it strangely eased his nerves. Many seemed just as anxious as he felt, which gave him a feeling that he wasn't alone. A kind lecturer walking by told him that the library was only a couple of corners away, and he managed to find it without much trouble at all.

It was possibly the most magnificent room he had ever been in. Ladylake University in general had a classic, elegant air to it, so its library would naturally reflect this, too. The ceiling was fairly high, pillars on each side of the room emphasising this height, whilst the windows were huge and brought in a large amount of light. Shelves of books stood in many rows, causing excitement to build up inside him. His eyes immediately cast over to the archaeology section and he began walking there in an instant. In his excitement, he barely took in anyone around him, their quiet talking almost completely unheard.

His own course was studying for this topic, so he naturally already had textbooks relating to it, yet he was still curious about what other books were in this section and whether there were any he could read for personal enjoyment. It turned out that this was certainly the case as his eyes inspected the section. His finger ran across the bindings of the books, all ranging between old and new, each grabbing his eye with the same level of interest.

He then averted his gaze to higher up on the shelf, and excitement surged through him when he saw that a particularly hard-to-find book rested there. However, it was right at the top of the shelf, and he was finding himself struggling to reach it slightly. He didn't exactly want to perch right on his toes when someone could be watching, but he had little choice. Yet his fingers only brushed against its binding, not quite high enough to grab it properly.

“Damn it,” he muttered, cursing whoever decided that the top shelves were only reachable for people who were above average in height. He strained his arm slightly more, beginning to accept that he would have to swallow his pride and find someone else to take it down for him.

But then his hand retreated as another hand, more tanned than his own, had grasped around the book. Resting back on the balls of his feet, Mikleo turned to face whoever that hand belonged to. He was greeted with a large grin which seemed to illuminate bright green eyes.

“Thanks,” Mikleo said, reaching for the book, but it was immediately pulled back.

“But I wanted this myself,” the person said, seeming amused. “I'm going to be taking Archaeology, so it might come in use.”

“Well, I am too, and I saw it first.”

“No you didn't.”

“Pretty sure I did. I mean, I was reaching for it first.”

“That's only because I was watching you fail to grab it.”

Mikleo scowled, irritated by the playful tone. “Fine, whatever. But don't take too long with it, I want it myself.”

“I could tell! No worries, I finish books really quickly.”

Now the guy was making proper conversation, Mikleo had the chance to take in his appearance properly. 'Casual' was definitely the best way to describe him. His brown hair was a little messy, his black T-shirt loose and jeans fairly baggy, with white trainers on his feet. Yet there was more to him than simply just casual. His smile was, admittedly, rather perfect, showcasing white teeth, and Mikleo couldn't help but notice the toned muscle of his arms.

He immediately scolded himself mentally for checking out a guy on the first day he was here and decided to speak instead of simply stare. “Bookworm, then?”

“Absolutely! _The Tales of the Shepherd_ is definitely my favourite series.”

“Really?!” Mikleo exclaimed, feeling excitement build up. Remembering he had to try and be a little quieter considering he was in a library, he spoke again in a quieter voice. “It's always been my favourite. I've reread it countless times.”

“Same here! Looks like we already seem to have some things in common, huh?”

The words seemed to bring a strange edge of nervousness to Mikleo, yet it was in a pleasant way as opposed to being uncomfortable. “Yeah, that's true.”

“I'm glad I could meet someone in my class before it started,” he smiled, holding out his left hand to Mikleo. “I'm Sorey. What about you?”

He wasn't sure what caused him to say it. Perhaps it was the fact that he was truly noticing how beautiful those green irises were, or that Sorey had an unbelievably contagious smile which seemed to cause Mikleo's heart to skip a beat. He couldn't have been certain of anything at all when he took Sorey's hand, which he couldn't help but notice felt pleasantly warm, and said:

“I'm gay.”

He was … what? Did he really just blurt out his sexuality as opposed to give the name Sorey had been looking for? It was his first day here and he was already failing immensely at social skills.

It wasn't a surprise for him to feel his face burn up immediately. His hand shot back and he turned away, ready for Sorey to just leave without a word, perhaps dropping the book in his hand in the process. That would have at least been one good thing for Mikleo, yet his mind wandered to what would happen in his first class. He could picture it now, fellow classmates whispering about how the one with silvery-white hair had told a guy he was gay instead of his name. With this thought came a feeling of absolute shame, and the consideration that perhaps he would still be welcomed into English Literature.

But Sorey ended up laughing, causing Mikleo's head to turn back around and glaring when Sorey's laughter wouldn't stop, though he felt too embarrassed to say anything. It ceased eventually, his eyes watery as he grinned at Mikleo.

“Well, that's great to know,” he said. “But I was kind of hoping for a name.”

“It's Mikleo,” he muttered, still feeling heat in his cheeks. However, his heart had done some kind of double take – 'great to know'? What was that supposed to mean?

“We got there in the end,” Sorey said cheerily. His voice had an edge of a teasing tone to it, yet it didn't seem to be in a patronising way. “Well, it's nice to meet you.”

“A pleasure.”

“Maybe I should let you have this to make you get over that,” Sorey said, lifting up the book in his hand. “But if I keep it, it gives me an excuse to talk to you again, so … sorry, Mikleo, I'm keeping it.”

“It's fine,” Mikleo responded with a wave of his hand, simply wanting to leave this conversation as soon as possible. He was looking forward to potentially throwing himself onto his bed and dying from humiliation; it might end up making him feel better, after all.

“I'll see you around, then!” Sorey said, waving as he walked to the end of the row of shelves and left Mikleo standing on his own, filled with a confusing mixture of embarrassment, nervousness and a strange sense of giddiness.

“What a dork,” he mumbled to himself as he grabbed a different book off the shelf, wondering if this was the only time he'd embarrass himself so much, or whether this was going to start being a continuous thing. He was wishing that it wouldn't be the latter.

 

* * *

 

 

Mikleo was soon to realise that it could very well end up being the latter.

He decided to return to the dormitory as soon as he had taken the book out of the library, coming to the conclusion that it would be best to unpack now as opposed to leaving it until later. He was a little surprised to find that the door had been unlocked, but a little anticipation washed over him when he realised that this would mean his roommate had returned and Mikleo would have a chance to meet them.

But he almost dropped his book on the floor when he saw Sorey lounging on his stomach on his bed. He seemed to already be reading the book he had borrowed instead of Mikleo, and despite being absorbed, he still looked up at the small creak of the door opening. A grin broke out on his face when he saw who was standing in the doorway.

“How's the homosexuality?” he greeted. Mikleo shot him the most furious glare he could muster through embarrassment returning to him, and he closed the door after himself with a huff.

“I can't believe this.”

“Well, I'm surprised at that, considering my posters are a giveaway after what we spoke about in the library,” Sorey said, gesturing to the wall. It only just clicked now for Mikleo about the titles on the posters. He had simply been too caught up in embarrassment to realise.

“We're roommates,” Mikleo said, letting out a sigh as he crouched down by his own suitcase. “This can't be happening.”

“Awh, why do you sound so disappointed?”

“Because you're not going to let that slip-up drop!”

“Well, maybe not. But come on, I don't think you're weird or anything. Honest! It was just a mistake.”

Mikleo peered over at him. His words seemed to be genuine. “Are you serious?”

“ _Yes!_ It was funny, that's all. But I'm wondering about why you said it.”

Mikleo's gaze immediately diverted back to his suitcase, letting out a small cough. “I-It doesn't matter.”

“Awh. I was curious.”

“Curiosity killed the cat, you know,” he stated as he started to hang his clothes in the wardrobe, seeing that Sorey already had his hanging on one side, filled of mostly earthly colours, blues, blacks and whites.

“But satisfaction brought it back.”

Mikleo shot him another glare but didn't say anything. He was certain that Sorey would know exactly why he had said what he did, so it was clear that he was merely just teasing him. Mikleo wasn't sure if he hated that or not.

“Do you usually act like this with people you just met?” Mikleo questioned, now placing shoes on the bottom of the wardrobe before he closed the doors.

“Not completely. I think you might be a special case.”

“Right,” Mikleo said slowly, questioning whether or not to ask what that meant. He glanced over at Sorey again, whose eyes were back on the book. “Is it any good?”

“Oh, yeah!” Sorey exclaimed enthusiastically, beaming up at Mikleo. “It's fantastic!”

“I was wondering if people online had been exaggerating it a little.”

“Nah, definitely not. Hey, since we've turned out to be sharing a room, you'll be able to borrow it easier, now!”

“Ah, that's true,” Mikleo said, a small smile on his face, though he was quick to cough and hide it. “Gives me a reason to not hate this arrangement completely.”

“Hey!” Sorey pouted, which Mikleo hated himself for finding so adorable. “You really dislike me that much?”

“Yes.”

“I beg to differ.” He glanced over at the time, his grin growing. “How about we go get something to eat from the cafeteria?”

Mikleo stared at him. He was slightly taken aback that one second this guy was teasing him, the next thing, he was suggesting they go get food together. Which, Mikleo realised, would probably end up with more teasing.

Perhaps that was one of the reasons why he ended up saying, “Go on, then. Hopefully it's not awful.”

“Nah, it's not!” Sorey reassured him with. “I've been here since yesterday so I've already tried the food. It's actually really good!”

“All right, I'll trust you this once.”

“Just once?” Sorey questioned, the two now exiting the room.

“Most certainly,” Mikleo answered, watching as he locked the door after them both.

“I'll change that,” Sorey said as he began to walk down the corridor, his steps noticeably energetic. “I have a lot of time to, after all!”

“Dream on.”

“I will,” Sorey said, turning back around. Whilst his voice still had a hint of playfulness to it, his grin had softened into a smile. “After all, you're really cute, so I'm not missing out on this opportunity.”

Satisfied with the fact that his words had left Mikleo speechless, he carried on walking, the other having to jog to keep up after a moment of being frozen in place.

This was hardly what he had expected his first hours of being at university to be like, but he'd be lying completely if he said that he didn't like where it was going.


	2. Settling In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A week of settling into the university allows Mikleo to properly befriend Sorey and also meet Alisha and Rose, before their first lesson arrives at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, your comments were the sweetest! I'm SO enjoying this AU and I'm really sad that it's only 4 chapters, actually ... maybe I'll make a part 2 in the future if I thought of ideas? Anyway, as I'm not used to such cute chaptered fanfics, I'm glad you're enjoying it so much. I hope you enjoy this chapter, too!
> 
> (ALSO! The pick-up line in this chapter was taken from Gabby's lovely list in the Discord chat. If you're reading this ily <3)

The week of Mikleo settling into university seemed to pass by fairly quickly, much faster than he had anticipated. He had expected it to drag by slowly, leaving him simply waiting for classes to start. Yet sharing a room with Sorey was quickly making him realise that he might never end up being bored in the university.

He hadn't really been quite sure of how eating together for the first time would be, yet it had turned out to be strangely pleasant. It couldn't have been more than an hour or two since they met, yet they already seemed to have the right chemistry for becoming friends. The teasing earlier had made Mikleo unsure at first, but it all seemed to be in good nature. He was soon realising that Sorey was a very friendly and energetic person, and Mikleo learned that he was actually friends with two girls who would also be starting the course; Alisha and Rose. They were to arrive later in the week.

In the meantime, the two soon found themselves spending a lot of time together. The reason could have been, of course, that the two simply weren't friends with anyone else yet, and so spent time together instead. Yet Sorey, with his bubbly and welcoming personality, was soon chatting to other people in the dormitory a little more than Mikleo was. He just simply seemed to want to become good friends with Mikleo instead.

During this week, they explored the campus, browsed through the books in the library and ventured out to Ladylake to see the sights. Both had been raised away from it, Sorey in Elysia, Mikleo in Camlann, yet Sorey was able to give Mikleo a tour of what he knew due to attending high school there. With their shared interests, they got excitable very easily and discussed what they saw time and time again. It had allowed Mikleo to feel a lot less nervous about the upcoming educational year.

Yet there was now a different kind of nervousness building up in him. It was crazy and he was absolutely hating himself for it, considering he was hardly at an age where he thought things like this would happen. But he had seemed to develop an instant crush on Sorey.

It had hardly been a surprise – with their shared passions and Sorey's incredible personality, it only seemed natural to react like this to meeting him. But Mikleo hated it. He hadn't come to university with the idea of falling for anyone; he had, of course, known it might have happened. He just didn't want to focus on romance when his focus was on getting through a knowingly tough course. It certainly hadn't been part of his plans to grow a crush on someone within the first _week_ of being there.

However, this still didn't stop him from enjoying Sorey's company. On the Saturday, so just a couple of days before they would start their first year, the two were wandering around the students who were promoting their clubs, talking about how Rose and Alisha were going to be arriving that afternoon.

“What are they like?” Mikleo asked, watching Sorey pick up a pamphlet about football.

“Well, Rose is a bit like me, whereas Alisha is a little more sophisticated. They didn't really get along at first, actually, but now they do.”

“I look forward to meeting them. How long have you known them for?”

“Since the beginning of high school, so quite a long time! And let me tell you, it's been fun watching their development. I never expected them to get so close.”

Mikleo smiled from this. Hearing about friendships like these always made him think of his own best friend, Edna; unfortunately, she had decided to attend a different university, the one which her brother was teaching at, but she was only about an hour train ride away.

“Oh, that girl over there is looking at you,” Sorey suddenly said, nodding in the direction of the girl Mikleo knew as Lailah. He chuckled, giving her a small wave.

“That's Lailah. She's part of some kind of hair and beauty club and wants me to volunteer as someone they do styling on.”

“Ah, I see! Yeah, I can see why.” Sorey peered at Mikleo's hair. “It looks really soft even though you colour it so lightly. It's pretty awesome!”

Having not expected to be complimented on his hair, he was silent for a moment as he took in those words, before coughing lightly. “Y-Yeah, I just use good conditioners and such.”

“Whatever you do, it works well.” Sorey then ran a hand through his own hair, letting out a laugh. “I don't think there's much for her to do with _my_ hair, though. It's kind of normal.”

Mikleo wanted to say how even if Sorey's hair _was_ normal, it still seemed perfect for him, but naturally bit his tongue. Giving the impression that he did in fact have a crush on Sorey was something which he was avoiding at all costs, even though there was probably already suspicion there over Mikleo blurting out his sexuality. He still couldn't think of that moment without cringing.

Before long, Sorey had received a message off Rose saying that they would soon be arriving; it turns out that they would be in the same dormitory, only further down the corridor. And so, the two made their way to their own room ready to greet them.

“I'm expecting Alisha to get homesick, even though she actually only lives on the other side of Ladylake,” Sorey said as they settled down in their room, grinning. “She's usually really independent, but I guess she's attached to her family.”

“What about you?” Mikleo asked. “Are you missing them?”

“A little bit. I don't have much family by blood, but everyone in Elysia is like family to each other. But I love living in a new place, especially as it's really different!”

“That's good to hear, then.”

“And you?” Sorey questioned. “I mean, you've come a much longer way than I have.”

“I'm really close to my mother, so yeah, I miss her. But I was really excited to come here.”

“How come you decided to go to a university so far from you?”

“Well, I've been here once before and know a lot about Ladylake's history, so it sparked my interest because of that. I considered Pendrago at first.”

Sorey smiled. “Similar reasons to me! Well, I'm glad you chose to come here. We wouldn't have met, otherwise.”

Mikleo hummed in agreement, his mind wandering slightly. He hadn't really thought of that previously, but it was true; he and Sorey would have never met if they chose to go to different universities. That thought gave him a strange sense of sadness. He had never made friends with someone like Sorey before.

“Oh, I think I can hear Rose's voice!” Sorey suddenly exclaimed, startling Mikleo out of his thoughts. He focused on listening outside the door, realising there was the sound of the wheels of suitcases being pulled across the corridor.

“ _Man, it's September, why am I melting in this heat?”_

“I'm gonna see if they need a hand,” Sorey said, getting up off his bed. Mikleo followed as he opened the door, calling to the two girls' backs. “Hey!”

They immediately turned at the sound of the recognisable voice, smiles stretching out on their faces.

“Oh, hello, Sorey!” Alisha exclaimed, settling down her suitcase for a moment so she could give Sorey a hug.

“Great to see ya! It's been a while, huh?” Rose said, before turning to Mikleo and giving him a grin. “And you're Mikleo, right?”

He blinked. “How do you know my name?”

“Well, you're Sorey's new friend and roommate, aren't you?” Alisha asked.”Of course he told us about you.”

“Ah, of course,” Mikleo replied, filled with a mixture of feeling joyful that Sorey had actually spoke about him to other people, yet also concerned that he had told them about Mikleo embarrassing himself. Luckily, he either didn't tell them or they simply didn't mention it, for the two were soon bringing their attention back to their things.

“Want me to take something?” Sorey asked.

Alisha shook her head quickly. “It's fine, it's just down there.”

“Feel free to keep us company, though,” Rose added. The two boys did just that, following the two girls to their room. Mikleo found that it felt strangely empty even with the furniture – after all, when he had entered his own room, it had already been adorned with some posters from Sorey and books laid out.

“Come on, Rose!” Alisha laughed as she dumped her suitcase down and fell face first onto the bed. “It's better to unpack sooner rather than later.”

“Just testing out how comfortable the bed is, that's all,” said Rose, her voice muffled. “I'm tired.”

“Why don't you grab some food first, then?” Sorey suggested. “There's plenty of time until later!”

Rose's head immediately lifted from this suggestion. “I'm down for that! What about you, Alisha?”

“Well, I don't want this to be a burden later on …”

“You've still got a decent amount of time before the day ends,” Mikleo said. “It's fine if you don't unpack right away.”

Alisha smiled. “That's true. Let's get going, then!”

They headed down to the cafeteria, and Mikleo was already seeing exactly why Sorey enjoyed being friends with the two girls. They were wonderfully friendly, and Rose in particular seemed to have a lot of energy – she definitely had a number of similarities to Sorey.

“So you come all the way from Camlann, don't you?” Alisha asked as the four sat down with a drink and snack each. “That's such a long way from here!”

Mikleo nodded. “Yeah, I really wanted to come to Ladylake.”

“I don't blame you – I moved here from Lastonbell to attend the high school, and I'm glad I did!” Rose added. “You'll feel right at home here if you have an interest in history. The Archaeology course is the best across loads of universities, too!”

“I've heard of that. I'm really excited to start, even though it's going to be tough.”

“You better not slack off because of that,” Alisha said to Rose, who was immediately looking in the opposite direction.

“Slack off? Nah, I've never done that …”

“Rose can be a bit of a procrastinator,” Sorey explained to Mikleo, grinning. “She tends to go out for 'quick walks' and not return until much later.”

“Hey, at least I'm active!”

“We can't deny that, but you _do_ use the fact that you're active in order to get away with things,” Alisha said, laughing at the pout she received in return.

“Well, I'm not putting anything off this year. You'll see!”

“We'll believe that when we see it,” Sorey said, receiving a light punch on his arm.

“This campus is plenty big enough to explore on its own anyway, it's _huge!_ It even has a pool!”

“Wait, it does?” Mikleo said, straightening up.

“Yeah, you know that construction that's going on? It turns out its a project which has been running on a bit late.”

“She found out as she is very good at getting information she wants,” Alisha said, Rose grinning at her in response.

“I definitely have to go there,” said Mikleo, a dreamy look in his eyes which caused Sorey to smile.

“You like swimming?”

“Most definitely.”

“Maybe that's why you wear so much blue and have it in your hair!”

Mikleo would have hummed in agreement if his body hadn't froze from Sorey lifting one curl to peer at the coloured ends, even though it was only for a brief moment. Luckily, this reaction didn't seem to be noticed; Alisha seemed to be looking at his hair instead.

“It's so lovely,” she said. “How long did it take you to grow it like this?”

“A while, considering I had to get it trimmed a lot to keep it healthy.”

“It's so fluffy!” Rose exclaimed, seeming amused by a curl bouncing when she tapped it with her finger. He couldn't help but notice how he felt perfectly fine about a girl he had only known for about an hour touching his hair, yet felt entirely different in regards to Sorey.

He swallowed as he thought of this, not quite hearing the voices of the others for a moment. He hoped that the starting of his course would perhaps stop his nerves from running so high.

 

* * *

 

 

Monday morning soon arrived. The alarm that both of them had set rang at 7:00am, though Mikleo had already been awake long before it. He wasn't sure if it had been out of nerves or simply just anticipation for what their first class would bring. Either way, it seemed to calm a little upon hearing Sorey's groan as Mikleo turned off the alarm, smiling in amusement at the sound which had been made.

“Didn't sleep well?” Mikleo asked as Sorey sat up, yawning loudly as he rubbed his eyes, his hair an absolute mess from tossing and turning.

“Kind of. I think I was awake for a while because of excitement for today.” In an instant, he suddenly seemed more energetic, grinning at Mikleo. “Are you looking forward to starting?”

“Definitely so. It's going to be tough, but there's honestly no other course I'd rather do.”

“Same here!” Sorey agreed enthusiastically. He was soon smirking, however, and pointed to the right side of his head. “You've got a curl sticking up. It looks like an antenna.”

He laughed as Mikleo pouted, patting it down, which failed a little. “Well, that's what happens when you sleep with long hair. You're one to talk, anyway.”

“Yeah, but all I have to do is this.” He ran his fingers through it, and sure enough, it was back to its slightly less messy state.

“You're saying I should get Lailah to cut it for me, then?”

Sorey waved his hands wildly. “No, not at all! It looks great! Plus, Lailah would kill you if you asked her to cut it short anyway.”

Mikleo laughed. “That's true,” he said, soon becoming distracted quickly by how Sorey had just complimented him once again and then immediately scolding himself for doing so.

Waking up at this time gave the two chance to take their times with getting dressed and making sure they had everything together, as well grab some breakfast in their room. At first, Mikleo wasn't sure if he could stomach it; he was suddenly feeling fairly sick. Yet Sorey convinced him to, rambling about how it was called the most important meal of the day for a reason, and he did in fact feel better after.

The two were soon meeting with Alisha and Rose in the dormitory corridor. It was lucky for them that Alisha seemed to have gotten used to her way around quickly despite only being there for a couple of days, for Mikleo was still lacked a little in confidence when it came to navigating his way around, and Sorey and Rose were both absolutely clueless.

Before they knew it, they were entering a classroom with rows of seats, a little smaller than Mikleo had anticipated. He settled down with Sorey in one of the rows, Rose and Alisha sitting by them. The rest of the students seemed friendly enough; they were smiling at each other, exchanging names as they sat down next to each other.

“Right, you lot, settle down!”

Mikleo was startled upon seeing the tall man who had entered the room, hands on his hips with a large grin on his face. It was the one he had encountered when he had been trying to find his room; his long blond hair was unmistakable, even though the fact that he was wearing a tank top and black jeans didn't exactly give him the appearance of a tutor, especially for such an academic subject. This was emphasised further when as the last students settled down, the tutor took out his phone and sighed.

“Eizen, you bastard, I'm about to teach a class!” he said as he answered a call. “Can you save the sculpture talk until later?”

“Eizen?” Mikleo said, Sorey turning to him with curiosity.

“You know someone by that name?”

“Yeah, it's the name of my friend's older brother. And judging from the talk of sculptures, it's probably the same one.”

“Right, so welcome to my class, aspiring archaeologists!” the man then exclaimed to the class. “I'm Professor Zahdeya, but you nerds can all call me Zaveid.”

“Did he just call us nerds?” Rose whispered to Alisha.

“So considering you applied for this course, you probably know that Archaeology is the study of the human past, from the hunter-gatherers of Ice Age Europe to the inhabitants of modern cities. Unlike other subjects which are nowhere near as good as this, you won't be stuck in here constantly and be driven mad. Nah, you'll get a mixture of lectures, seminars, site visits and practical workshops. Neat, huh? In your second year, you'll even have a four-week training excavation so you can learn about the techniques of archaeological fieldwork. Screw the History course here, it's so much more boring than this.”

“I don't think he can say that,” Mikleo said as he watched Zaveid then clear his throat and shuffle through some papers.

Sorey laughed and shook his head. "Me neither.”

“Now, you've all looked up the modules and seen that there are optional ones, right? Well, the first compulsory module is The Mystery of History – great rhyming, I know – which will let you explore a historical event which has caused particular controversy.”

Sorey seemed to straighten up in his seat over this; Mikleo himself was beginning to feel excited. Even with the huge pile of essays he knew he'd be receiving, he couldn't help but look forward to the work.

“But before we start, how about some introductions? Awh come on, show some spirit!” As there had been audible sighs and the odd groan from some of the students. “Right, you already know I'm Zaveid and have an art-obsessed friend named Eizen – he's teaching Art, Craft and Design at Pendrago University. Well, some people question the word 'friend', but I can assure you all that we've only had sex once and we were utterly wasted.

“Aside from that, I'm just your regular guy with a huge love for breasts. Nothing too out of the ordinary. So!” He pointed a ruler at a small girl in the front row with dyed purple hair. “Introduce yourself.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Do I _have_ to?”

“It's compulsory.”

“Fine,” she sighed. “I'm Symonne. I'm 18 and like to be left alone. Is that fine?”

“Someone got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning. Right, onto the next!”

Some students reacted in a similar way to Symonne, wishing that he would hurry onto the next person. Others seemed to catch on with his enthusiasm; it was unsurprising that one of these was Rose.

“I'm Rose! I live in Ladylake right near this beautiful girl here – oh, she's not my girlfriend, but I wouldn't say _no.”_

“Rose …” Alisha sighed, shaking her head, but smiling from amusement.

“But yeah, she got me into this whole history kind of stuff, and then I was hooked! Maybe not as much as her, but still a lot. Oh, and I like sports too, though.”

“Sporty _and_ nerdy,” Zaveid grinned. “A rare combination.” He then gestured to Alisha. “And the not-girlfriend.”

“I'm Alisha Diphda. I'm –”

“ _Diphda?”_

“She's one of the _Diphdas?!”_

“Why are they acting like that?” Mikleo questioned, confused over why her surname was so important.

“The Diphdas are pretty famous around here,” Sorey explained. “They're business owners.”

“Come on, let her speak!” Zaveid said loudly over the noise, which immediately brought them into silence.

“Well … my family also wanted me to study business to take over, but I decided to chase my passion instead.”

“Good on you! It's great to see you take your own path.”

Alisha smiled; there seemed to be much more to Zaveid than what he appeared on the surface.

“And you there, the taller one.”

“Oh, I'm Sorey! I've loved history for as long as I can remember; I started reading about it when I was a little kid. Then I started properly getting into archaeology a few years later! I like other things, though. I'm mad about poetry.”

“You are?” Mikleo question, receiving an enthusiastic nod.

“Absolutely!”

“What kind?” Zaveid asked.

“Romance, mostly.”

Mikleo seemed to almost choke on nothing.

“A romantic then, huh?” Zaveid grinned.

“Uh, maybe?”

“Totally!” Rose said. “There's no doubt about that.”

“Then give us a pick-up line. Come on, it's your first task set.”

“Uh … do you have a pencil? 'Cause I want to erase your past and write our future.”

There were collective laughs from the class, the loudest of which was Zaveid, whilst Mikleo rested his hand on his forehead and let out a sigh.

“Oh my God. I should have known you're the cheesy type.”

“Well, if you ever need help, go to this guy!” Zaveid then turned to Mikleo. “And you there, with the mermaid hair.”

“Well, I guess I'm about the same as everyone else, though I like making some sweets as well as all the bookworm type stuff.”

“You've got to make me something!” Sorey exclaimed. “ _Please?”_

Mikleo smiled. “Maybe. I like writing, too.”

“Talented people here, it seems! Right then …”

Sorey leaned closer to Mikleo for a moment as Zaveid looked for the next person to question, saying words which almost made Mikleo fall out of his seat.

“So _do_ you have a pencil, then?”

He burst out laughing at Mikleo's shocked expression and reddening face, barely able to contain himself even as Zaveid shouted over at him to be quiet.

“I was only joking!”

“Joke in such a serious voice like that and people might think you're _not.”_

“Awh, I'm sorry.”

Mikleo huffed, looking past him to see who Zaveid was now speaking to, his mind now a little more distracted. He was probably most annoyed at the fact that part of him had _wanted_ Sorey to be serious, rather than at Sorey himself.

Regardless of this, the class continued to be enjoyable, and he knew that he was going to enjoy the year completely if it was all going to be like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It wasn't actually my original intention to have Zaveid as their tutor, but ... it had to happen.
> 
> Thanks for reading! I'll probably update this again in a few days <3


	3. Escalating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The weeks of their first term fly by, feelings for Sorey growing stronger as they pass, yet Mikleo is pushing away the idea of Sorey feeling the same for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cries* I am so, SO happy people are enjoying this little thing!
> 
> There's some frustration and such later on in this chapter, though there's still some of that cuteness. Enjoy!

It seemed like no time at all had passed before it was already Friday evening. The course so far had been very enjoyable, unsurprisingly much more casual than any class Mikleo had ever been, which had been made clear it would by the impression Zaveid gave on his first day. Both Mikleo and Sorey were fairly tired, though; it was strange getting back into a stream of classes after a long summer.

That night, Sorey was reading yet another book he had obtained from the library, whilst Mikleo was loading up his laptop in order to talk to Edna, lounging on his bed. The two _had_ been speaking over text messages, but hadn't had enough time for much else, and so had decided to video call each other this evening.

“ _Hey, loser,”_ he was greeted with.

“Hey, midget.”

“ _How's your first week been? You're looking a bit tired.”_

“It's just from today – we were in class for a while.” A smirk tugged on his lips. “Worried?”

“ _Never.”_

He chuckled. “Whatever you say. What about you, then?”

“ _It's great. I think everyone was surprised to see me there, which has gotten me pretty popular.”_

Edna had actually applied for an engineering course after her A-Level had turned out tremendously well; strangely enough, it actually caused a family member to be disappointed, considering Eizen had wanted her to go down an art route, too.

“Having all the guys want to court you?”

“ _They can dream on. I'm too good for them.”_

“As much of a lady as ever.”

“ _Of course. What about you? Is the hair attracting a swarm of people, yet?”_

“Well, I've had a fair few looks at it.”

“ _Any of those you like?”_

Edna had likely meant it as a joke, for she was well aware that Mikleo hadn't exactly fallen for that many people in his life. However, she noticed his pause and sudden small change in his demeanour.

“ _Oh, you really do –”_

“I don't,” he snapped immediately. His gaze shifted to Sorey for a moment – he hoped his face didn't heat up from how Sorey had stopped reading and was looking over with just a flicker of curiosity in his eyes. “You just caught me off guard.”

“ _Right.”_

“Well, don't be afraid to say anything if you _do_ end up falling for someone,” Sorey piped up, Mikleo staring at him as he continued to read his book, speaking casually. “You probably won't have any problems with that.”

“ _Who's that?”_ Edna asked. _“Is that the roommate – Sorey, was it?”_

“Y-Yeah, that's right. Hang on, I'll turn the laptop round.”

He did so, Sorey looking back over and giving Edna a wave. “Nice to meet you!”

“ _Likewise. He's cute, Meebo.”_

“Meebo?” Sorey questioned.

“ _Mikleo-Boy._ _Meebo for short. Also, Pretty Boy.”_

Sorey laughed. “Right.”

“Edna, I think you need to be quiet now,” Mikleo said, letting out a sigh.

“ _All I did was call him cute. Seems like your type, doesn't he?”_

“I – well – not particularly.”

“He _did_ accidentally blurt out he was gay instead of telling me his name.”

“ _Sorey!”_

“ _Oh?”_ Edna said, grinning. _“Why doesn't that surprise me?”_

“I – it was just an accident, that's all … Sorey, why did you have to tell her that?!”

Sorey merely shrugged, his attention moving back to his book, an amused expression on his face. Mikleo huffed, turning back to Edna with a glare. She only grinned back.

“ _Awh. Poor Grumpleo.”_

“I hate you.”

“ _I'm so hurt.”_

“Ugh. I'm going to get going now. Sorey and I got some books from the library and I want to get through them.”

“ _All right. Try not to be too gay.”_

He hung up immediately, his glare now being directed at Sorey, who was laughing. But Mikleo couldn't help an amused smile growing on his own face, shaking his head.

“Honestly.”

“She's quite the friend, isn't she?”

“I'd say. Still, we've been friends for years, so I guess I'll just have to put up with her.”

Sorey's expression grew surprisingly softer, discarding the book as he turned on his side to face Mikleo's bed, head resting in his hand.

“You know, you haven't told me much about your life,” he said. “Like … all I really know is that you're from Camlann and that you like history. What about family? Friends?”

Mikleo blinked, having not expected this sudden curiosity. “Well, most of my friends were from the village – it's very small, so we all know each other, really. I met Edna online and we've seen each other a few times in person. As for family, I only really have a mother and an uncle, Michael. My father died when I was six.”

“I'm sorry to hear that.”

Mikleo shook his head. “It's fine, I get on well with my mother, and Michael has taken me travelling across places. Sometimes it's not quantity that matters, really. It's quality of company more than anything.”

A smile grew on Sorey's face. “Yeah, that's definitely true.”

“What about with you, then?”

“Well, I'm quite similar to you, actually. Elysia is a pretty small village too and I'm friends with everyone there, but I also have friends I made while studying in Ladylake. Then with my family, I have my Gramps and my mum, but my dad is in prison. He … wasn't that great of a guy, really.”

Mikleo's heart sank. “I'm sorry to hear that.”

Sorey shook his head. “It's fine! We were never that close. Plus, I've always been more like my mum, anyway.”

“Same goes for me.”

“I can imagine you look like her.”

“Really? How come?”

“Your features are just … well, a little feminine. Angelic, maybe. So I can imagine your mum looking like that, too.”

The fact that the words were spoken entirely seriously probably made Mikleo more nervous than they would if he was teased; he let out a small cough, eyes shifting to the side for a moment.

“Uh, thanks, I guess.”

“Oh, sorry, did that offend you?”

“Offend me?” Mikleo said, looking back to him. He could almost laugh at Sorey looking genuinely guilty, smiling at how adorable it was. “No, why would it?”

“I don't know … maybe you wouldn't like being called feminine?”

“I don't mind it. I've always had both masculine and feminine traits.”

Sorey's smile returned. “That's all right, then.”

“But to answer your question, I _do_ take after her. In fact, there's barely anything about me which is like my father. We have the same natural colour hair, skin tone, eye colour, our faces look pretty similar … Actually, I can show you a picture of us, hang on.”

He got out his phone, scrolling through his photo gallery before showing Sorey the screen – they were both eating ice cream whilst sitting on a park bench, Mikleo's arm reaching up to take the picture. Sorey's eyes widened at the resemblance; if Mikleo didn't already have his hair dyed in the photo, they would look even more similar.

“She looks very young,” Sorey said. “You could almost be like brother and sister.”

“We've had that a lot, actually,” Mikleo responded as he put his phone away.

“I can't believe that's your natural eye colour, though. I thought they might've been contacts at first.”

“It's a family thing, really. Michael has them, too.”

“They're really beautiful.”

Apparently, giving his friend this amount of compliments was normal to Sorey; he didn't seem awkward at all whilst saying them. Mikleo's mind shifted to the compliments he had heard him give Alisha and Rose – was this just the kind of person he was?

“Thanks,” Mikleo mumbled, suddenly very interested in the cover of a book on his bed.

“You … don't take compliments well, do you?”

“What makes you say that?” he asked, still looking down at the cover of the book, fingers laid as though they were about to open it, yet he was too focused on listening to Sorey's words.

“Well, others mostly smile and thank me. You tend to look away and such, or sound a bit awkward. Don't you like them?”

“… It's not like I don't like them. They just … I don't know. I guess I never know how to respond to them.”

“It's embarrassing for you?”

“M-Maybe.”

He looked up as Sorey chuckled softly. “That's cute.”

As Mikleo seemed to have a habit of doing so whilst around Sorey, he couldn't stop himself from blurting out, “Are you flirting with me?”

There was only a small pause before Sorey answered. “Possibly.”

Unsure of how to respond to this single word and the grin which was on his face, Mikleo finally opened the book, but his eyes were hardly taking in any words. He could feel Sorey's eyes watching him for a moment, before he was getting up and stretching out his arms.

“Fancy watching a movie or something after our first week here?”

Mikleo looked up. “What on, though?”

“I have a bunch of movies and documentaries on my laptop.”

There was a small moment of hesitation before Mikleo nodded. “All right, sure.”

His answer sounded a lot calmer than he felt inside. The laptop was placed down on Sorey's bed, the two having to sit by each other in order to have enough room. There was something inviting about the way their shoulders brushed against each other. He couldn't help but think that if Sorey's arm was around him, bringing him closer, they'd be able to fit on the bed a little bit better than this.

 

* * *

 

 

Further time on campus passed just as quickly as their first week, the month being October in the blink of an eye.

Little more had happened within these weeks aside from properly settling into the course. The work that they had during their first week now suddenly seemed very small compared to the bunch of essays they got now. Yet even with a growth in their workload, it was still enjoyable. It made both feel positive about the path that they had taken.

One difference, however, was Mikleo growing a little closer to Sorey, Rose and Alisha during this time. In fact, a little could have been an understatement – there were times when the four spent time together that he forgot that the three had known each other much longer than he had known them. It wasn't until one referred to an event in the past which reminded Mikleo that he was actually a fairly knew companion.

Their company was, of course, highly enjoyable, but there was still those nagging thoughts in his mind. Sorey. Just continuous thoughts about this boy, everything from his cheerfulness and smile, to his casual teasing and then, of course, the moments Mikleo could have sworn he was flirting. He wasn't sure if he had stopped asking if Sorey was flirting due to nerves or simply getting used to it.

He enjoyed these brief moments, but at the same time, they managed to somewhat hurt him, as much as he found it pathetic that they did. He was highly convinced that it was a joke, especially considering Rose often encouraged it. Sorey wasn't doing this to be rude, Mikleo knew that for sure. Yet considering the crush that Mikleo had developed very early on was still there and more real than ever, feeling as though Sorey didn't mean anything he said wasn't the best thing he could experience.

One night they were doing their work, Mikleo had decided to confess his thoughts to Edna over text message, so that Sorey didn't hear him. For once, she had genuine advice for him which he knew he should have taken; to tell Sorey. It was simple. Yet at the same time, it was utterly complicated. They hadn't even known each other for long at all – how on Earth could he say to Sorey that he was thinking about something more?

Of course his mind had chosen to escalate, to admire more than just Sorey himself. He had began to imagine what Sorey's hand would feel like in his own, how he kissed … considering that they had hugged by now, which he couldn't admit to himself were amazing moments, he couldn't help but imagine this hug lingering for longer, perhaps whilst lying on the bed and talking about their day, a hand brushing through his hair …

Shit. He really was in a mess.

 _'I'll just ignore it, then I'll just forget about all of this,'_ is what he repeatedly told himself. Yet so far, if anything, he was only thinking of Sorey _more._ At the very least, it wasn't interrupting his studies. But it was still enough to become a bother.

“Mikleo, you've seemed really distracted recently,” Sorey had said one day, now the 8th of October, when they had known each other for a little over a month. “Are you okay? Is there anything on your mind?”

He automatically shook his head. “It's nothing, really.”

Sorey frowned. Apparently, he could see that this wasn't the truth. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. Really, it doesn't matter.”

“You know you can talk to me though, right?”

The voice almost broke down Mikleo's walls. It sounded so concerned, so _caring,_ that Mikleo thought he just might give in. But he didn't. He couldn't say the truth.

“I know. Thank you.”

He had to focus on his studies, not pine for a guy who seemed to only be interested in teasing him, and that was all. Nothing more, nothing less.

Only perhaps this was a lie Mikleo had convinced himself of.

 

* * *

 

 

A few more days had passed before the two had a night together of watching documentaries. This time, they were both laid on their stomach with Sorey's laptop in front of them, a bag of toffee popcorn between them. It felt so wonderful that for a moment, Mikleo forgot just how much he was being tormented about his feelings and quite simply enjoyed Sorey's company.

That was, until, their hands accidentally brushed for the fourth time. Or at least, Mikleo made out as though it was accidental. It was only in the back of his mind that he had accepted the fact that he was perhaps waiting for the right moment so their hands _did_ brush.

This was commented on the fifth time; with a grin, Sorey said, “If you want me to hold your hand, you could just ask.”

“I don't want you to!”

He immediately felt guilty when Sorey looked a bit surprised. He hadn't meant to sound like he snapped so much. After all, Sorey meant no harm by it. Perhaps if Mikleo wasn't hiding his feelings away, Sorey wouldn't tease him like this. Sorey wasn't the one to blame at all. Yet as bad as it made him feel, it was Mikleo's instinct in these moments to become defensive.

“I'm sorry, was that too much?”

No. No, it wasn't. That was exactly what he wanted. He just couldn't admit that.

“N-No, it's just …”

_'I have feelings for you and I want you to say that seriously. I don't want to feel as tho_ _ugh what I feel is a joke.'_

“I really am sorry.”

“Don't be, I …”

His words faded, no longer paying attention to the laptop in the slightest. Apparently Sorey wasn't doing so either, for he paused the documentary and placed the laptop on the floor, allowing him more room to lie on his side and face Mikleo, who was still on his stomach. “Is there something bothering you?”

“No, I'm fine.”

“Mikleo.”

He was surprised at how firm and serious the voice sounded, how blank Sorey's face was; Mikleo was so accustomed to Sorey's usual cheerfulness and light-hearted attitude that this expression was foreign to him.

“I'm sorry,” Mikleo sighed. “It really is nothing.”

And he truly meant that. Whether or not these feelings were real, it was pathetic to let them affect him this much. He usually wasn't the kind of person to let this happen at all. And, as much as he hated it, he was insecure. There was no way that he could believe that Sorey would have genuine feelings for him _._

Though suddenly, he was snorting at Sorey's fingers jabbing his side. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to get you to laugh. Come on, you're much cuter when you're smiling!”

“Hey, no, I'm fine – _Sorey!_ ”

He burst into fits of giggles as Sorey's hands properly attacked his sides, though he was now turning over from his stomach to fight back, Sorey roaring with laughter as Mikleo's hands reached his armpits.

“Get off!” he yelled, becoming weak from laughter as he attacked back. “I'm winning this!”

His attempts to get Mikleo to smile were definitely successful, all evidence of frowning wiped from his face completely. However, the laughter and grinning, the tickling and thrashing to get the other one off, it all stopped in a moment which also seemed to stop their hearts. For from instinct to get Mikleo's attacks to stop, Sorey had pushed him away and grabbed at his wrists, managing to bring them to a situation in which Sorey was kneeling above him, staring down with panted breaths and tangled hair.

Mikleo didn't try to prise his hands away. He could only stare back at Sorey with wide eyes, feeling as though his heart might have been beating fast enough to leap right out of his chest. He wasn't sure what he had expected to happen next. Perhaps a babbled apology as Sorey immediately jumped off him.

What he hadn't expected was his wrists to be pulled away from his chest so Sorey could comfortably reach his lips with his own.

He didn't know what to do or what to think. Perhaps he wanted to do neither, except for his pinned hands to twitch before clenching slowly into fists, eyes closing as he kissed back. When one wrist was released so a hand could rest against Mikleo's face, Mikleo couldn't even move it. It was as though his whole body was frozen underneath Sorey, caught in a spell he didn't want to be released from.

He almost thought he needed to whimper as Sorey deepened the kiss, feeling strangely conflicted despite the fact that this was what he wanted and how much he was enjoying this. Why was Sorey doing this? Was it just a spontaneous act which he was going to regret?

Apparently, these thoughts had caused his body to stiffen up, for Sorey was pulling back immediately. For a moment, Mikleo could have sworn he saw some level of desire in those eyes. But in the next moment, he assumed that he had been imagining out of hopefulness, for Sorey was releasing him and scrambling off him.

“I – I, uh –” he was babbling, heat rising to his face. Mikleo wondered whether his own face looked the same or was even brighter. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to –”

“Of course you didn't mean to,” Mikleo said, a slight shake to his voice. He sat up, looking dishevelled with his shirt's collar out of place and curls flicking up in numerous places. “You couldn't mean anything seriously, right?”

“What're you –”

“You … you don't know what you just did! This isn't just a game to me!”

“Mikleo –”

But Mikleo was already on his feet, hurriedly slipping on a pair of shoes. “I'm going for a walk. Don't wait up for me if I take a while.”

“Wait, don't go!”

He spoke too late. Mikleo had already shut the door after himself. He had wanted to slam it, yet hadn't managed to do so properly, for he was already hating himself for being so vague. He just couldn't say it. He couldn't say anything.

He swallowed as he replayed the kiss in his mind as he was walking away. There was no way that it had been anything more than a mistake for Sorey, simply just something he had done in the spur of the moment. It couldn't have caused the same sparks that Mikeo had felt.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Grabs Mikleo* boi control that anxiety 
> 
> (I'm always shoving how I am on the poor guy, he'll be all right, just needs to get hold of himself)
> 
> Thank you for reading! I'll likely update next Wednesday.


	4. True to Themselves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikleo proceeds to avoid any mention of their kiss, yet frustration soon builds up too much for this to continue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *still has Mikleo grabbed by the shoulders* mate ... stop
> 
> Enjoy! (also, another Gabby pick-up line is in this chapter, ily)

He didn't really have much clue where he was going. He simply walked past people in the corridors, ignoring their laughter and smiles, having to stop himself from scowling when he saw a girl pull her boyfriend closer to her to kiss him. Others had it so simple.

It was ridiculous for him to act this way. Sorey could have really meant the kiss, or even if he didn't, spur of the moment events did happen. Mikleo had never been like this before. He had dated a couple of people briefly, yet he never cared so much for it, not feeling hurt at all when they ended. So what was happening here? Were his feelings for Sorey stronger than he cared to admit?

Soon, he was outside the building, the sun setting in the sky. It was rather beautiful, yet he wasn't in the right frame of mind to admire this properly. He sat down on a bench, posture not nearly as sophisticated as usual; his back slouched forward as he rested his chin on his hands, eyes cast to the floor as his mind repeated what happened.

His wrists still seemed to tingle from Sorey's hands holding onto them, his lips still warm from their kiss. And how that kiss was unlike any he'd had before. Was it possibly to kiss so strongly, yet still seem gentle at the same time? Perhaps it was the softness of his lips which had caused that.

He inwardly groaned, hiding his face in his hands as he breathed out deeply, trying to calm the beating of his heart in his chest. There was no denying it now. He had well and truly fallen for him, even after such a short space of time.

But what could he do? After all, his mind was still convincing him that it was hopeless, anxiety taking its hold. He was just teasing, it was a joke, he got caught up in the moment … from day one, all Mikleo could see it as was a joke, this thought erasing the small amount of hope he _did_ have.

“Mikleo, are you all right?”

His head rose at the sound of a familiar voice, smiling when he saw that Lailah had walked away from a small group of friends to come over to him.

“I don't know,” he sighed. “I'm just being silly, really.”

“It seems like more than just silliness,” Lailah said, sitting herself down next to him.

“Really, it's not.”

“Yet you seem so upset. Did something happen?”

He opened his mouth, though closed it soon after, unsure of what to say. He spoke eventually, his words hesitant. “Have … have you ever had someone who you have feelings for, yet you just think that it's a joke to them?”

She shook her head. “Not exactly, but I can picture your situation. Did you confess to someone and then they treated it like a joke?”

“N-No, I haven't told them.”

“Then what do you feel like is a joke?”

“I just … they tease me a lot, flirting with me at times, yet I don't think they're being serious.”

“Oh, I see. So you have feelings for them, yet they are just flirting with you as it seems fun to them?”

“Basically.”

“Have you not thought that they might have feelings for you, too?”

Mikleo sighed, resting his head in his hand. “I _have_ thought of that. But … well, I guess it's just how they are. They joke with everyone and I'm not the only one they tease – I guess they just do it to me more as …” He stopped himself. There was no way that he was going to admit that he was actually easy to tease. “I don't know.”

“It sounds like you're a little insecure.”

“Maybe a bit.”

“Well, I am sure it'll work out for you,” Lailah said, giving him a smile. “You're beautiful in both your appearance _and_ your personality. How could he say no to that?”

“Thank you, Lailah. But … 'he'? I never used that pronoun.”

“You're talking about the boy with brown hair, aren't you? Sorey?”

He blinked at her. “How do you know?”

“Oh, it's obvious that you like him,” she said, sounding a little amused. “How you look at him, the way you tend to blush sometimes when he says something to you –”

“Okay, I understand,” Mikleo interrupted quickly, embarrassed and wondering if his sexuality really was this obvious, or if Lailah was merely observant.

“I wish you all the best,” Lailah said, getting to her feet and giving him one last smile. “Though I have a feeling that you don't need me to do that.”

With this, she began to walk in order to catch up with her friends, leaving Mikleo sitting and wondering if maybe, just maybe, there was truth in her words.

* * *

 

 

 

After some time of sitting and allowing himself to calm down, he returned back to the dormitory. It was only 11:00pm on a Friday night, so he doubted that Sorey was asleep. This turned out to be true when Mikleo, after inhaling deeply, opened the door slowly and found that Sorey was typing on his laptop.

His head shot up immediately. “Mikleo,” he said, placing the laptop down to one side. “Look, I'm sorry that I –”

“It's cool,” Mikleo said, forcing a smile as he removed his shoes. “Spur of the moment, right?”

“Y-Yeah, right.”

“Then don't worry. It happens.”

Mikleo was then in a rush to scoop up his pyjamas, suddenly feeling the need to change in the bathroom despite how they had gotten used to doing so around each other. Sorey had gotten up just as Mikleo held the door handle.

“Wait a second.”

Mikleo didn't turn, feeling too nervous to do so, but he did stop to listen.

“Do you … have feelings for me?”

His entire body froze over this question, immediately wanting to say yes, he had done since they met, an instant crush forming which he wasn't sure he could get over. It could all have been solved in this moment instantly. But sudden anxiety, even fear, washed over him to what Sorey could say to that.

“It doesn't matter,” he ended up muttering, unsure of whether Sorey even heard him or not. He entered the bathroom, letting out a sigh as he began to undress. He was a fool. An entirely cowardly fool who couldn't even work up the courage to say 'yes'.

Sorey looked as though he wanted to push for an answer once Mikleo entered, but the latter's face must have expressed that he wouldn't want this. Sorey swallowed instead, shutting his laptop and put it away.

“The offer still stands, you know,” he ended up saying quietly as Mikleo climbed into bed with his back to Sorey, finding a strange sense of security in pulling the duvet closer to his face.

“What offer?” Mikleo mumbled, surprised he could even be heard at all.

“That you can talk to me about anything.”

Mikleo gripped onto the duvet tighter, cursing himself for feeling so emotional, unable to respond. Sorey seemed to wait for a moment, before he sighed and got up to switch off the light. Mikleo could feel his eyes look in his direction before Sorey walked to his own bed and settled down under the duvet.

It took a long time for Mikleo to fall asleep, and perhaps it would have been the same for Sorey, yet the latter didn't wake as late as Mikleo did. He opened his eyes slowly, blinking and seeing that the time was 9:00 when he glanced at the electronic clock on the nightstand between their beds. He then sat up, rubbing at his eyes and letting out a yawn. His eyes fell on Sorey, who was standing in a pair of old sweatpants and a T-shirt.

“What are you doing?” Mikleo asked, his voice still a little sleepy. Maybe it was this cuteness which caused Sorey to look at him fondly, a warm smile on his face.

“Making us pancakes. Only microwave ones though, so sorry about that.”

Mikleo covered his small smile with knees brought to his chest, arms wrapped around them. “Still sounds good.”

“Syrup?”

“Please.”

Sorey was soon walking over with two plates of pancakes, as well as a coffee for himself and a glass of water for Mikleo. “I feel bad about last night,” Sorey said as he passed the plate to Mikleo, who had lowered his legs so he could place it on his lap. Rather than walk over to his own bed, Sorey instead sat on the end of Mikleo's. “You seemed really upset.”

“I was just exaggerating, that's wall,” Mikleo said, cutting up a small bite of pancake and popping it into his mouth, trying to avoid Sorey's gaze.

“Are you _sure_ there's nothing you want to say?”

“I …” Mikleo hesitated, eyes still cast away, feeling nerves rise in his chest. “No, I'm fine.”

Sorey seemed a little disappointed. “All right.”

“Really, I am. It's just …”

“Just what?”

Mikleo bit on his lip, shaking his head a little almost sub-consciously. “It doesn't matter.”

Sorey sighed, turning his body to face him more. “Listen, Mikleo. I –”

He was interrupted by a knock on the door. Seeming slightly irritated, yet having this expression fade quickly, he got up and answered it to find Rose standing there, slightly breathless.

“I forgot about the notes!” she exclaimed. “I've just been looking _everywhere_ for them, then remembered that I didn't actually get them off you.”

“Oh, give me a second!”

He wandered over to his desk, opening up a textbook where the notes were folded inside, before grabbing them and handed them to her.

“Thank you, you're a lifesaver!”

She was soon making her way back down the corridor, Sorey closing the door and turning around once she had left. By now, Mikleo had finished with his food and was getting changed in the bathroom, emerging from it minutes later, now dressed in a lightweight sweater which fell off one shoulder and skinny jeans. Perhaps if he hadn't been so distracted, he might have noticed that Sorey's gaze had been one of approval.

“I'm going to head to the library to finish off writing out my notes, I think,” Mikleo said as he pulled on a pair of shoes. “Thank you for the food.”

“Would you like me to come with you?”

Mikleo paused as he contemplated this. On one hand, he wanted to be alone to avoid all awkward conversation. But on the other hand, he doubted that Sorey would try and prise anything out of him in the library. Plus, no matter how much of a mess he currently felt in regards to his feelings, Mikleo still wasn't someone who would pass up an opportunity to spend time with Sorey.

And so, he nodded. “All right, sure.”

Sorey smiled at him for that, throwing on a pair of trainers and following Mikleo out into the corridor, waiting as he locked it. The hand which had lingered momentarily on Mikleo's shoulder brought a sense of warmth.

 

* * *

 

 

Over the next week, Mikleo couldn't deny that to some degree, he was ignoring Sorey.

Of course, this wasn't completely. They still spoke and spent time together, as well as doing so with Alisha and Rose, who didn't seem to have noticed that anything happened between the boys. However, in terms of speaking about what was on his mind, Mikleo always avoided the conversation possibly leading to this, making sure to change the topic before it even got close.

He was feeling even more ridiculous by now and assumed he was acting this way due to his feelings being stronger than usual. Though really, it didn't matter _why;_ he was still frustrated at himself for acting this way and it was likely that Sorey was, too. He was smiling as brightly as usual, yet there was still the odd moment when they could see a look of disappointment in Sorey's eyes, or the pursing of his lips.

Perhaps if their kiss didn't make him feel so nervous, he'd be fine to talk about how he felt. But every time he thought of it, he couldn't stop a blush reaching his face, unable to bring his mind away from it. How on Earth could he say a word to Sorey if he so often became distracted by this kiss whilst speaking to him, even if it was something entirely irrelevant to what they were speaking about?

Yet as a little more time passed, it was clear that Sorey was becoming impatient with Mikleo being a little distant. He seemed to try to make conversation more, knowing that something was playing on Mikleo's mind. And one day, just over halfway through October, it was clear that Sorey couldn't bear being pushed away any longer.

“Mikleo …” he started as the two were outside the door to their room, Sorey trying to find his key.

Mikleo's body already tensed up. He knew what that voice meant all too well.

“Sorey, don't start,” he said. “There's really nothing to talk about.”

“Why are you lying to me?”

“I'm –”

“Yes, you are.”

Mikleo couldn't respond; after all, he wasn't used to Sorey using such a serious, blunt voice. He eventually found the key, unlocking it, Mikleo spending this time waiting to think of words.

“I'm honestly fine,” he said as he stepped inside after him, shutting the door. “There's nothing –”

His words were cut off; a hand suddenly being placed on the door behind him startled him, and he stared up at Sorey, swallowing when he realised how close they were.

“I want this to stop now,” he said quietly. “Why do you keep avoiding me?”

Mikleo bit his lip. “Because it's difficult.”

“What is?” Sorey's voice grew firmer after no response. “Mikleo.”

“You're just constantly teasing me!” Mikleo suddenly shouted, forcing himself to speak quieter when he continued. “From day one, everything as been a joke to you. That stupid slip-up, me getting nervous around you – it's funny, isn't it? It's all just a joke!”

“I never said that it was!”

“But you treat it so casually. Like you do when you make any joke.”

“I don't know how else to deal with it,” Sorey said quietly. “I've always been casual and light-hearted. I … didn't know how to act any differently. I'm sorry.” The hand on the door lost some of its strength to stay up, a soft smile growing on Sorey's face. “But Mikleo, I really do like you. Haven't you noticed?”

Mikleo blinked, opening his mouth, no words coming out for a moment. “You … you do?”

“Why else would I make out with you on my bed?” he asked playfully, laughing at Mikleo's pout.

“I thought that was just … I don't know, the heat of the moment.”

“It was, but I don't just spontaneously kiss _anyone_.”

“Y-Yeah, that's probably true …” Mikleo mumbled, feeling silly over how he had been feeling since their kiss. “I'm sorry. I guess I'm just insecure about this kind of stuff.”

“There's no need to be sorry. I know that it was a struggle for you.” Sorey's smile grew into a smirk. “But … I want to hear you confess properly.”

Mikleo cast his eyes down. “You already know how I feel, idiot.”

“Yeah, but I want to _hear_ it. Please?”

“F-Fine, I have feelings for you. Happy now?” Mikleo turned his head to the side, cheeks flushed from embarrassment. “Only a bit, though. It's not like … I really, _really_ have feelings for you.”

“Of course not,” Sorey grinned. “Whatever you say.”

“Why do you tease me so much?”

“Because it's fun, and you're cute, and –”

“All right all right, I get it. Geez.”

“Come on, can you at least look at me again?”

Mikleo did so. “Why?”

“Because I want to kiss you. Can I?”

His head nodded slowly, leaning back and closing his eyes as Sorey pressed his lips against Mikleo's. It took a moment to grow used to this happening once again, but once he did so, he wrapped his arms around Sorey's neck to bring him closer. A hand cupped Mikleo's cheek, fingers stroking the skin lightly. And when a tongue glided steadily across his bottom lip, asking for entrance, he did not hesitate to oblige.

It felt wonderful. All of the weeks of absolute frustration, never knowing what would end up of him and Sorey, always disliking himself for falling so deep into his feelings; it all washed away as their kiss deepened. It felt so beautifully natural, as though everything they had ever said to each other, each moment of teasing and flirting, was all to build up for this one moment. Unlike their last kiss, which was etched with confusion and a feeling of being overwhelmed, this brought both happiness and the realisation that yes, this is what they wanted and had been yearning for.

Sorey pulled back gently, smiling with eyes filled with tenderness, a faint blush tinting his cheeks which only seemed to add to the beauty of his expression.

“You really think that it wasn't real after that?” he asked, smiling when Mikleo shook his head. “Good, because it really was real.”

“Does …” Mikleo said hesitantly, eyes casting to the side for a moment. The fact that his fingers were absent-mindedly fidgeting only added to the cuteness of how awkward he felt. “Does this mean that … you know …”

“You know what?” Sorey pushed, knowing what Mikleo wanted to say perfectly, yet it was far too tempting to embarrass him a little.

“That we're … going to start dating.”

The last four words were spoken so quickly that Sorey almost wasn't able to tell what Mikleo had said, and for a moment, he considered teasing Mikleo a little more from this. However, he didn't want to push Mikleo too far, and instead brushed his lips on top of Mikleo's head.

“If that's what you want.”

Mikleo nodded, eyes falling on Sorey's again, a gentle smile on his face. “It is.”

“Glad to hear it,” Sorey smiled back. Both leaned in at the same time for a kiss, the natural reaction to their words. All of the frustration and anger which had occurred over the last few weeks seemed to have all been worth it for the this.

 

* * *

 

 

“Hold on! You're _together_ now?!”

This had been exclaimed by Rose, who was now pushing aside a presentation she had been working on in class to stare at Sorey and Mikleo; the first was nodding, looking rather pleased with himself, whilst Mikleo had a sudden interest in the pen he was spinning in his fingers. Rose ended up squealing at Sorey's nod, shaking Alisha's arm, who was now looking at them both with a face just as excited as Rose's.

“When did this happen?” Rose questioned further.

“Last night.”

“Oh my gosh, how _sweet,”_ Alisha sighed, looking at Mikleo with a fond smile. “Why are you looking away, Mikleo?”

“He's embarrassed,” Sorey said, turning his head to Mikleo, who glanced at him for a moment before rolling his eyes and continued writing.

“I'm not,” he mumbled.

“You're not that great of a liar,” Rose teased. “Are you embarrassed because of how head-over-heels you are for him?”

“I don't like him _that_ much.”

“He does. Watch.” Sorey leaned over to kiss his cheek, the others laughing when Mikleo's hand immediately stopped writing and a blush rose to his face. “See? Just a tiny gesture and he melts.”

“It's a bit like how Alisha can be,” Rose said. “Though she can embarrass me, too!”

Sorey and Mikleo exchanged a glance before looking at the two girls with confusion. Their expressions brought a smug smile to Rose's face and caused her to fold her arms, even Alisha looking a little pleased with herself. Sorey and Mikleo looked at each other again, before both exclaimed simultaneously, “ _You're_ together?! _”_

“They've finally caught on!” said Rose, laughing.

“But how long for?” Sorey whined. “Why didn't you tell me?”

“It's only been two weeks, and Rose wanted to see how long it took for you both to realise,” said Alisha, sounding amused. “We both ended up getting a lot closer to each other after coming here, plus I couldn't quite get what Rose said to me on the first day out of my mind.”

“Well, looks like we didn't beat them to it,” said Sorey, laughing. “But hey, now we can go on double dates!”

“That's cheesy,” Mikleo commented.

“But you love it.”

“No, I don't.”

“You do.”

“I really don't.”

“How cheesy I am is your favourite thing about me.”

“Hold on, I have a favourite thing about you?”

“I can't hold on … I've already fallen for you.”

“Oh my God,” Rose gasped out whilst she was laughing, which was only made worse by the look of pure disbelief on Mikleo's face. “You guys are too much.”

“Hey!” Zaveid's voice suddenly boomed, startling all four of them and causing them to turn to the tutor now making his way over. Today, as he said that the building was too hot due to the heating they've put on, he was shirtless, the T-shirt he had once been wearing discarded an hour ago. “You've got to be getting on with work, I've not seen you do anything for ten minutes.”

“But Zaveid!” Rose whined. “These two nerds got together!”

“The gay nerds got together?!” With the thought of work gone from his mind, he leaned on the desk in front of Sorey and Mikleo, grinning. “I knew it would happen before too long. You guys scream homo.”

“Um …” Mikleo responded, unsure of what to say.

“Thanks?” said Sorey, letting out a laugh.

“I'm sending my best wishes to both of you. All I ask is that you don't bang on the desks, or at least not when there's a class on. And _use condoms!_ God, pregnancy isn't the only thing you have to watch out for. Stay safe, you beautiful lovers! I'm rooting for you!”

They could have sworn there had been a tear in his eye before he walked away, leaving Sorey sitting up straight, looking absolutely flabbergasted, whilst Mikleo's head was on the desk, seeming to be mumbling something about Zaveid being unprofessional.

“Well then,” Alisha said awkwardly, breaking the silence. “At least he is supportive.”

These words brought back laughter, the four soon back to writing their work, but not before Sorey leaned over and brushed his lips against Mikleo's temple once his head had risen from the desk. Mikleo smiled in response, previous embarrassment washing away as he simply appreciated what they now had.

He certainly hadn't come to university to find romance, yet now he was in the beginning of it, he wouldn't give it up for anything in the world.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that ends this little fic!
> 
> I'm a little sad it's over already, but I only wanted to do something small for fun. I have another couple of cute modern AUs coming up before I get back to something different and more angsty, so I hope you're looking forward to them! Thank you for reading.


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